At the Factory
by lemondrops11
Summary: When the Ingalls go bankrupt, Grace takes it upon herself to find a job. Though the job she finds is not as glamerous as she thought it would be.
1. Chapter 1

At the Factory 

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own the book or television series _Little House on the Prairie_ or any of the characters.

Chapter 1: The Job 

Grace Ingalls stood at the corner of Main Street and the road that led to her home. She debated whether or not she should go back to her house. _Oh, I wish I could run away._ She thought to herself. _Why can't I live in Walnut Grove with everyone else? Well, I can't and I need to be there for Ma and Pa right now, so I might as well bring home the groceries Ma wanted me to pick up._

It was nearing the end of the 19th century and the Ingalls family was living in Burr Oak, Iowa. Carrie and Cassandra had moved back home to Walnut Grove a few months earlier. Carrie was working in the restaurant while Cassandra taught school. This left Grace in Burr Oak all by herself. She had James, but he and Charles had started their own business a few years earlier. He had recently gotten married and moved a few miles down the street. He married his enemy from school, Nancy Oleson. She had grown up a lot in the past few years.

Things weren't going well in the Ingalls home. Charles and James' family business had just gone bankrupt because of an economic slump that was affecting the whole country. There was barley enough money for the groceries Grace was holding.

Grace opened the door not expecting to see her parents arguing.

"Caroline, there is nothing left. We have to sell our house." Charles said in a frustrated manner.

"Charles, can't you reason with these people?" Caroline asked.

"It's the government, Caroline. There is no way of winning. Remember Kansas?"

"I remember Kansas." Caroline said with a doubtful tone.

"I guess we will have to move in with Laura and Almanzo until I can find a decent job."

"Charles, you know we can't barge into their home like that. After all, they are having their own financial trouble."

"James and Nancy are going to have to move out as well. I think they are moving in with Laura for awhile."

"We can't all move into Laura's house."

"What are we supposed to do Caroline? Live on the streets? We have Grace to consider."

"Maybe Laura can take in Grace until we figure out what to do." Suggested Caroline.

_Yes! _Grace thought. _Now I can be with my sisters again. _Yet as she thought about how much better things would be once she was living in Walnut Grove she started thinking about how bad things would be for her parents and brother. _I can't have a good time while my family is struggling. There has got to be something for me to do to help._

Grace finally spoke aloud. "Ma." She said hesitantly.

Charles and Caroline, both startled, looked at Grace standing in the doorframe.

"Why Grace, we didn't know you were there." Caroline said trying to put on a fake, but sweet tone.

"Ma, I can help. I can get a job and help pay for things around here."

"That is awfully considerate of you Grace, but you are to young to work. Besides, there aren't many jobs left." Caroline reasoned.

"That may be, but I know where I can get a job."

"Where?" Charles and Caroline asked in unison.

"Trust me, I know where. Please let me have the job."

"I'll tell you what, you tell us what the job is and maybe we will consider letting you have the job." Said Charles.

"How about I go see if the job is available, and if it is I will tell you what it is all about."

"Fine." Charles smiled. "Don't take the job until we say so."

"Thanks, Pa! I will be right back!" Grace ran out the door.

"Charles, I don't know if I like the idea of her working."

"Oh, Caroline don't worry. I bet she is getting a job selling newspapers or something, nothing demanding."

Grace ran down the street. She eyed the poster she had glanced on her way to the Mercantile. It read: SEWING JOB AVAILABLE IN THE FACTORIES. NOW HIRING. ALL AGES. SEE STAN LEWIS AT 42 MAIN STREET FOR MORE DETAILS.

"Excuse me, Mr. Lewis?" Grace said knocking on an office door.

Stan looked up from his desk. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Yes, you may." Grace walked into the room and stuck out her hand to greet him. "I am Grace Ingalls, and I saw this ad posted on the street. I was wondering if the job is still open."

"As a matter of fact, it is. Are you interested in the job?"

"I am, sir. I need money for my family, and I am a great sewer."

"Are you familiar with factories?"

"At school we have learned about how they are taking over the country. We have also learned about people's specific jobs in the factories; sewing being one of the jobs."

"I see. Well, would you be willing to start next week?"

"I have to ask my parents first."

"Oh, well then I guess you can't have the job. I need to know right away."

Grace hesitated. She knew she should ask her Pa first, but if she did then she wouldn't get the job. "Okay, I will take the job."

"Great. You leave for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in a week."

"Pa! Pa!" Grace exclaimed running into the house.

"What is it Grace?" Pa asked.

"The job, Pa. It's available."

"Well, tell me what the job is."

Grace sat down. "Well, you know about those new factories they are opening across America? The job is one of those factories in Pittsburgh."

"Grace, we thought you would be getting a job selling newspapers, not a job hundreds of miles away." Caroline said.

"I know, but I would get paid so much money. It would only be for a month, and I can come back home with money and then we could move back to Walnut Grove and start over again."

"Grace, we don't know anything about these factories." Pa said.

" I do! We learned about them in school. Many children are going there to work to take money back to their families. I would be sewing, and from what I know that is the easiest job. Mr. Lewis the man hiring said you could go talk to him about the job if you would like. Please, Pa, please tell me I can work!"

"Why do you want the job so badly Grace?" Ma wanted to know.

"That way I can help our family, and we can move back to Walnut Grove."

"Grace," Pa started, "Did you by any chance tell Mr. Lewis you were going to take the job without asking me first?"

Grace gave her parents a sad look. "He said I had to tell him right away if I wanted the job or not, so I had to say yes. Please don't be mad."

"Grace, I told you not to take the job, but since you are so willing to help, and since you already said yes, I will let you work, but only for one month."

Grace jumped up out the chair and gave Charles a hug. "Oh, thank you Pa! Thank you so much!"

"Charles, do you think this is a good idea?"

"Don't worry Caroline, I will go talk to Mr. Lewis tomorrow. If I don't think the job will be good then I won't let Grace leave."

Little did the Ingalls know that the job at the factory would not be good, or that Mr. Lewis was a liar who promised much more than what the factory actually supplied.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: New Girl 

Charles talked to Mr. Lewis. Mr. Lewis told Charles that Grace would be bunking with a few other girls and that she would be sewing everyday from 8:00am-5:00pm, except for Sunday. Charles figured that everything would be okay; after all Grace had the independence of her older sister Laura.

Grace left a week later with high expectations. She was looking forward to meeting her new roommates and being able to sew for other people. Finally Grace arrived, she thought this moment would never come. Yet, when she got to the factory everything seemed dark and gloomy. There was thick, black smoke coming from the buildings. _I'm sure the inside is much nicer than this_! Grace thought to herself. She remembered seeing a picture in one of her schoolbooks of a factory and remembered that it had the same look.

The worker that met Grace at the train station escorted her down the alley all the way to the back of the factory. Behind the factory there was a smaller factory. He led her up a few flights of stairs on the outside of the building. She was led down a dark, concrete hallway. The worker directed her to a room and then left. When she walked in the room she saw two rows of beds that seemed to continue endlessly. There were girls writing letters, cleaning, and some were already asleep. One girl noticed Grace standing at the entrance.

"Are you new?" She asked, without a hint of hospitality.

"Yes, I am." Said Grace nervously.

The girl looked around the room and pointed to the last bed in the first row. "You can stay there."

"Oh, yeah what happened to Denise?" One girl asked.

"I think she was in a machine accident and was sent to the hospital." Grace heard another girl answer.

As Grace walked down the row, she felt that everyone was staring at her. She heard some girls whispering, but decided to ignore them. She placed her suitcase under her bed and sat down. She went to sleep.

"Hi!" Grace heard a loud, cheery voice near her. She opened her eyes and saw a girl with black hair, and green eyes staring at her.

"Hi." Grace said groggily. "I must have fallen asleep." She looked around the room. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, they have gone to dinner." The girl explained. "My name is Maria, how about you?"

"Grace. Grace Ingalls."

"Well, it is nice to meet you Grace Ingalls."

"If it is dinner then why aren't you eating?" Grace wondered.

"Are you kidding? The food here is horrible. I would rather starve. Actually, I do eat, but only when they serve something I can tolerate, which is every other day since they only serve two different meals."

"Oh." Grace said disappointedly.

"So, Grace where are you from? You don't seem like a factory girl."

"I'm from Iowa. My family lost their business so I am trying to raise money to send home so we can by a farm back in Minnesota where the rest of my family lives."

"Did you're family make you get a job?"

"No. I wanted to work here. I wanted to help support my family, and I also wanted to see what a factory was like."

Maria was shocked. "Why would you want to do that? These factories are not fun."

"Oh." Grace said again, even more disappointed. "So, why are you here?"

"My family and I are immigrants, and we moved here a few years ago. My father could not find work because he does not speak English. They sent my sister and me to school to learn English, but they said as soon as we knew enough we had to find a job. Our family would always move from one apartment to the next. We barely ever paid rent, so we would sneak out right before our rent was due. My family still has to do that on occasion, but not as often since my sister and I can send them money."

"Is your sister here?"

"No. She works in a meat packing plant in New York City."

"How long have you been at this factory?"

"A year."

"Are you going to go home?"

"Not until I turn eighteen, and I don't have to been under anyone's consent. That isn't for five more years though. Maybe my father will win money somehow and then my sister and I can come home." How long are you staying here?"

"My pa and I made a deal that I could stay here for a month."

"A month?" Maria asked in surprise.

"Yeah, a month."

"There is no way Mr. Lewis will allow that. You have to stay here for at least a year."

Grace felt as if she were going to throw up. Tears welled in her eyes. Maria saw her worried look.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. I will help you get started on the job tomorrow."

"I'll write my pa to get me out of here." Grace stammered.

"You can try, but all of our letters are censored."

Suddenly, a bell rang and children flooded back into the room.

"Dinner is over, and it is time for bed now. We have to get up at four in the morning." Maria told Grace.

"Mr. Lewis told my pa that we don't start work until eight."

"Well, Mr. Lewis tells people a lot of things that aren't true."

"Thanks for being my friend Maria." Grace said as Maria walked to her bed, which was right next to Grace's.

Maria smiled. "Anytime Grace. I think we will be great friends. Tomorrow won't be as bad as you think."

Maria wasn't being completely honest. She wanted to be Grace's friend, but she was just as scared as Grace, yet she could not let Grace know that. Everyday was a danger; one was lucky if they came out of the factory with only one severe machine injury.


End file.
